


Coyote Man

by Tarlan



Category: Mike Hammer
Genre: Angst, Drama, Episode Related, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-29
Updated: 2006-10-29
Packaged: 2017-10-12 23:03:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wade returns to the reservation to hunt a new killer. (Tag to episode Warpath)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coyote Man

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Deutsch available: [Coyote Man (German)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/130090) by [Tarlan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan)



> You do not need to have seen the original Mike Hammer episode. Please note: I rewrote this story for Magnificent Seven fandom some years later as Buffalo Man.
> 
> Wade Bennett was played by Michael Ironside.

Wade Bennett stretched to ease the tension out of his back. The posse of six had spent most of the day in the saddle with little sign of their quarry and were becoming tire and frustrated. The trail was barely visible and it seemed as if they were losing rather than catching up with the killer. His horse snorted and snapped up its head as it tried to flick away the flies that hovered around its nose.

"Easy, Girl."

He pulled gently on the reins as the horse shied slightly, its hooves making clicking noises against the rocky terrain.

Charlie Two Horses knelt on the ground about ten feet in front of the others, his fingers sifting through the remains of a camp fire. He looked back up at the denim-clad figure of the Kenowa Reservation Police Sergeant.

"He's got maybe half a day on us."

"It'll be dark in half an hour. We'll make camp here for tonight. Start again at first light."

He didn't wait for agreement before dismounting, knowing they would see the sense in his decision.

The small camp was set up with the efficiency of a people well acquainted with this lifestyle, and a little while later they were huddled around the fire with hot coffee and food. A guard was set and the rest quickly pulled blankets around themselves and slept.

****

A hand on his shoulder brought Wade fully awake in seconds, and he sighed deeply before nodding to Joe Walking Elk, but kept the blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he took over the watch from the youth.

As he sat, still and silent, with the rifle balanced across his knees, his mind drifted back to the events that had led them to this place.

It had all started when oil was discovered on Reservation land. The decision on what to do with this new-found source of wealth had divided the people. Many had wanted the land sold off and the money used to buy education and health for the tribe. Others, the traditionalists, had seen this as a threat to their culture, believing the loss of the land would seal the fate of the Plains People. Eventually, the Tribal council, headed by David Running Wolf, had decided to compromise. They started making legal arrangements with a foreign oil company to sell off part of the land for a deal worth 140 million dollars. The arguments continued and, after one heated debate, Tom Stone Man, a rancher who used Tribal land to graze his cattle, had threatened the lives of five Council members.

Stone Man vanished suddenly. Days later, the bodies of two of the threatened Council members were discovered and no-one contested the possibility that Stone Man was the killer. The search for Tom Stone Man led Bennett to New York where, with the unwanted involvement of a Private Detective called Mike Hammer, he discovered that the lawyer hired to negotiate the land deal, Joe Barrie, had taken a huge kick-back worth 30 million dollars. To cover his tracks, Barrie pretended to be Stone Man and murdered anyone who came too close to uncovering his secret. Joe Walking Elk's parents and Matt Sanderson's daughter, Anna, died before Barrie was stopped.

However, while Bennett and David Running Wolf were in New York, Stone Man's corpse was found in a shallow cave near Sandy Springs. He had been brutally murdered.

When Mike Hammer revealed Joe Barrie as the killer of Anna Sanderson it all seemed cut and dried, but Barrie denied killing Tom Stone Man and the first two victims. Instead, he admitted to taking advantage of the disappearance of Stone Man, believing, as everyone else had, that the cattle rancher was responsible for the Reservation murders.

Forensics proved that Tom Stone Man had been killed days before the Council members had met their deaths, and no-one could deny that the MO was different for those first three killings. Peter Sky Horse, Paul and Janet Walking Elk and Anna Sanderson had been shot, clean and simply. Tom Stone Man, John Bear Claw and George Masters had died slowly and painfully.

The only conclusion to be drawn was that there was another murderer, one who was infinitely more dangerous than Joe Barrie. A Coyote Man. A witch.

****

Within days of returning to the Reservation, Bennett's theory was proven. Another body was found bearing the same signs of a slow, torturous demise but, at the time of death, Joe Barrie had been in the custody of the New York Police Department.

****

One of the horses whinnied uneasily, bringing Bennett's attention back to the small camp. His fingers curled around the rifle in readiness as he strained to see into the darkness beyond the campsite. It was probably a coyote searching for food, but Bennett was not prepared to take the chance. Small stones shifting brought him spinning round, rifle raised in the firing position.

"Wade, it's Charlie."

Bennett lowered the rifle as the old man sank to his haunches beside him. Charlie Two Horses was the best tracker on the Reservation, like his father before him. It was a skill he had tried to pass onto his own son, but the boy had made other plans for his life. Michael Two Horses had opted to become a doctor instead.

"We've got trouble. I think he's doubled back and is out there watching us."

Bennett didn't bother to question the old man's intuition.

"Wake the others."

****

Bennett waited a moment before following Charlie back into the camp. As he gained his feet, a shadow detached itself from a large rock to his left.

"Don't move or say a word."

Bennett froze. He felt the rifle being taken from his hands.

"Place your hands behind your back."

The feel of rope slipping over his wrists galvanized him into action. Bennett slammed his body against his captor and made a grab for the rifle. His assailant jabbed the butt into Bennett's stomach, knocking the sergeant to the ground. The sound of running feet stopped the attacker but he leaned down and grabbed the front of the winded man's jacket, pulling the policeman up with a formidable strength. Bennett could feel the hot breath on his face.

"Your death will give me great power. I shall save you till last."

"Wade! Wade!"

Bennett dropped to the ground as his assailant released him suddenly. When he looked back up, the Coyote Man had vanished into the rocks.

"Here!"

****

Bennett increased the watch, leaving four to guard and two to sleep at any one time. The rest of the night passed slowly, but his heart lurched at every new shadow. This Coyote Man was silent and quick. Somehow, he had managed to sneak up on Bennett without making a sound, and that thought frightened the policeman. When he was relieved an hour later by Sam Walters, he moved quickly to the vacated bed roll and slipped inside. He thought he would be too ill at ease to rest, but the day had drained the last remaining strength from his body and he succumbed to sleep.

"Wade!"

The shout snapped him from a dreamless sleep and he threw off his cover, heading in the direction of wavering flashlights. He pushed past Joe Walking Elk and drew a sharp inward breath at the sight that met his eyes.

Sam Walters lay spread-eagled on the ground, his eyes wide open, his face frozen in a grimace of pain and terror. His mouth had been stuffed with some of the scraggy clumps of rough grass that grew in between the rocks, effectively silencing his cries. The ground beneath Walters was damp with the blood that flowed from the mutilated body. There was no doubt that Walters had been skinned while still alive.

"Son of a bitch."

"I never heard a thing. Honest, Wade. I wasn't asleep and I never heard a thing!"

Bennett grabbed the youth by the shoulders and shook him gently, his dark eyes holding the petrified ones of the other, expressing reassurance.

"It's okay, Joe. It's okay."

He waited until the young man had regained his control, watching as fear was replaced by total trust, then he turned back to the others.

****

Between them, the body was untied and buried beneath a cairn of small rocks. There was no point in trying to take the body back on the horses; it would decompose quickly during the heat of the day. Instead, they would make a note of the place and request a chopper when they got back. In the meantime, the stones would prevent the body from being scavenged by the coyotes and buzzards.

When the job was done, the others stood around their leader in a circle, eyes full of barely controlled fear as they awaited his decision. Bennett knew these men would stay with him if he asked, but all except himself, Charlie and Joe Walking Elk had wives and children to support. Charlie's wife had died several years back, and his son Michael had a wife and child of his own. Joe Walking Elk was barely seventeen years of age.

"Buck, Jamie, Joe. Go back to headquarters. Tell them about Sam and get a chopper up here to collect the body. Tell David Running Wolf we've got a problem."

"What about you and Charlie?"

Bennett smiled, his white teeth shining in the early dawn light.

"We'll track him, make sure he doesn't get too far ahead of us. We don't wanna lose him."

They packed up the camp and were riding their separate ways just after sunrise.

****

"Do you think this will work?"

Bennett raised one eyebrow as the old man brought his horse alongside Wade's chestnut mare. Charlie continued to wait in silence for an answer and finally elicited a long, drawn-out sigh from his companion.

"I don't know. All I do know is that he's set his sights on me. He might not consider the others to be worth the effort now we've split up."

"Or he might take advantage. Divide and conquer...."

Bennett looked up sharply. It was something he didn't want to think about. All he knew for sure was that they would definitely be in danger if they stayed with him.

"I'm sorry, Wade. I know you did the best thing. You've given them a chance to get away with their lives."

Charlie halted his horse and leaned down to examine a small, spiny shrub.

"He went by this way maybe two hours ago."

Wade pulled back his hat and wiped his tall forehead with a handkerchief. The sun was high overhead in a cloudless, azure blue sky: almost noon. He took a small sip of water then handed the canteen over to the other man. The returned canteen was re-tied to the pommel of his saddle before he urged the horse forward once more with a quick pressure of his legs against the horse's sides.

****

They had made no ground before nightfall and decided to make camp. The small fire did nothing to reassure them of their safety, but the hot coffee seeped warmth into their chilled bones. Neither was willing to allow sleep to take them this night - their quarry was too close and too deadly for comfort - but both realized the necessity of gaining some rest. They decided on two hour watches. Bennett took the first.

At the end of his second watch, Wade shook the sleeping man, waiting for his grunt of acknowledgment before making himself as comfortable as he could within the thin bedroll, force of habit keeping him well back from the light of the small fire; then he slept.

****

The smell of cooking meat pulled him from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes into narrow slits and studied the area in front of him, suddenly aware that he had slept for more than two hours for the sky was beginning to pale with the first streaks of dawn. His eyes snapped open in horror and he leaped to his feet.

Ten feet away, Charlie sat with his back against a small rock, a rope tying him tightly to its rough surface. His bare legs were outstretched in front of him across the smoldering fire, the ankles staked to the ground to prevent him from pulling his legs away from the intense heat.

A feeble whimper, barely audible from the gagged man, jolted Bennett out of shock and he swept the fire away from under the other's legs with his own bare hands. Gently, he took out the sock that had been thrust into Charlie's mouth and untied the man.

Racing back to the other side of the small camp, he grabbed both water canteens and the medical kit, his First Aid training flooding back. Inside the kit he found an arm sling and several bandages. It was the cleanest material he could find, so he tore off a strip from the sling and then divided the remainder into two pieces. He moistened the strip and placed it against the dry mouth for Charlie to suck on, knowing the injured man needed water to counteract the shock but realizing he would choke if he tried to take it any other way.

Bennett soaked the remaining two strips and wrapped them around the burnt legs, trying to draw away the heat retained deep in the leg tissues. For the next twenty minutes he kept the bandages wet, talking softly in reassurance as the pain slowly eased. He wrapped blankets around his companion to keep him warm, knowing it would be impossible to stave off shock. When he had done all he could to reduce the damage, Bennett ripped open the first sterilized dressing from the medical kit and wound it firmly around Charlie's right leg. He repeated the action with the second dressing around the left leg. Neither were long enough to completely cover the burnt area, but it was all he had.

The next problem was whether or not he should move Charlie. There was no telling when the Coyote Man would return, if he was not already sitting out there watching. Charlie gazed up at him through unfocused, pain-filled eyes.

"When your mother married a White man, the People shook their heads in shame. When the White man deserted her with no word, they turned their backs on her and her half-breed son. The other children would taunt him in the playground..."

"Their taunts only made me stronger..."

"The teachers gave him a real name. Fire-in-his-eyes. The child grew up and became a warrior, worthy of the People's respect."

"Where is this leading, Charlie?"

"He left me alive on purpose, knowing you would not leave me, knowing I would slow you down, but I am an old man who has lived his life. The Coyote Man will come back for both of us tonight. If you go now, then he will find only my knife. You must leave me."

Bennett tightened his lips in anger and determination.

"The Coyote Man was right, 'cos I'm not gonna leave you."

He looked deeply into the old man's eyes and pushed some of the gray-flecked hair from the craggy face.

"There are a couple of phials of morphine in the kit. Do you think you could ride with a little medicinal help?"

Bennett grinned, but the smile did not extinguish the concern in his deep brown eyes.

****

The small town of Horse-shoe Bend was the closest settlement, barely more than half a day's ride away, but Wade had to keep the horses moving at a slow walk to avoid causing his companion more pain than was necessary. If they were lucky, then they might reach it by the early hours of the next morning. However, it was not the speed of their traveling that caused the most worry; it was knowing the Coyote Man would be lying in wait for them somewhere between here and Horse-shoe Bend.

****

Bennett reined in both horses to a halt, took off his hat and wiped his sweating face with the sleeve of his blue denim jacket. Sweating was one of the few physical traits of his half-breed existence that he detested; that and the thinning hair. No doubt others could see the rest; the paler colour of his skin, the higher arch of his brow, but his eyes and hair were as dark as his mother's and his thought processes, although partially flawed by his harsh upbringing on the poverty-stricken Reservation, were the natural instincts of a warrior.

Bennett knew he would have to use all his skill and judgment if he was to defeat the Coyote Man, but he had not been taught the silent ways of the warrior. He could not move as stealthily as the creature who had turned the tables on them and had become the Hunter.

Wade turned to face his companion, noting the sheen of sweat across the old man's face. Bennett leaned over and felt the man's forehead; it was hot.

"The river should be over that rise. We'll stop there for a while."

He waited for Charlie to nod his agreement before urging his horse onwards once more, tugging the other horse along behind him.

****

The water was warm, but inviting. Carefully, Bennett pulled the old tracker from his horse and eased him to the floor, then he led the horses to the river's edge and tied them securely, allowing them enough freedom to drink. Having seen to the horses' immediate needs, he returned to Charlie's side and began to unravel the bandage from one leg. Despite the sterile dressing, infection had started to set in... but there was little he could do; he wasn't a medicine man and had no knowledge of homeopathic remedies.

Charlie looked up into the concerned eyes. Many of the old ways had been lost once his people had been forced onto the Reservations, but Charlie's father had passed on some of the secrets to his child. However, Charlie's own son had scorned the old ways, preferring to learn the medical practices of the White man. Suddenly, Charlie smiled. The Great Spirit made all things happen for a reason. Perhaps this was his sign to take the fatherless child that knelt beside him and pass on the People's way.

"Go to the water's edge...."

Bennett followed the old man's instructions and made a poultice out of mud and grass, then wrapped it firmly around the tracker's deeply burned skin.

While they ate the dehydrated trail rations, Bennett listened to the old man as he told him about the different plants around them.

****

The deliberate crunch on a rock drew their attention to the tall, semi-naked man who stood barely ten feet away. Bennett made a move for his rifle, but his hand dropped short as a bullet thudded into the ground near his outstretched fingers. He pulled his arm back slowly, his eyes never moving from the dark stare of the other.

"Half-breed."

Bennett's lips tightened and his eyes darkened in cold anger. No matter how many times he had been taunted in the past, still he could not control the surge of humiliation that accompanied that hated word.

The Coyote Man grinned, displaying teeth that were yellow from decay. His leathery skin spoke of a lifetime laid bare to the elements; the hot sun during the day and the bitter cold of the night.

He pulled out a hunting knife from the sheath bound to his waist, its strengthened steel surface flashing as it reflected the overhead sun. The Coyote Man tilted the knife until its brilliant glare rested on Bennett's face, forcing him to squint against the brightness.

Dropping the gun to the ground, the Coyote Man reached into the pouch strung across his chest and removed a dull, matted clump of hair. Bennett's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was held in the dirt-covered hand. For one horrified moment, he thought the Coyote Man had followed the others and had killed them as promised but, as the blaze of the knife was removed from his eyes, he noticed how light in colour the matted hair appeared at the ends. It was light brown, not black. He sighed quietly, almost in relief when he realized his fears for the others were groundless.

"You don't recognize this, do you, Half-breed?"

Bennett frowned. He knew of no-one on the Reservation with hair that colour. Only the White man had that shade.

The scalp was tossed onto the ground at Bennett's feet and he glanced down at Charlie as he heard the sharply indrawn breath.

The obvious was staring him in the face, but Bennett refused to believe it and stated that belief firmly.

"No."

The Coyote Man laughed maniacally, the knife quivering with his shaking body, but froze into perfect stillness as Bennett made a slight movement toward him. The grin stretched wider as the Coyote Man began to circle his intended victim.

"I shall kill you now, piece by piece, with a thousand cuts, and then I shall hang your scalp with your father's."

Bennett faltered slightly, knowing from Charlie's reaction that it was the truth, but refusing to allow the revelation to affect him. He remained poised, watching the knife that was held in a strong, practiced grip. The Coyote Man feinted to the right and then jabbed to the left. Bennett hissed as the knife slid along the side of his rib cage, drawing blood.

"One."

They circled around once more, keeping a healthy distance between them, arms held loose and wide. The sun glinted off the polished surface of the knife, but Bennett kept his eyes locked with his opponent, trying to read his moves in the cruel, black depths. A flicker of the eyes heralded another feint but this time Bennett was prepared: he side-stepped and the knife went past his left side. With one smooth motion, Wade trapped the knife hand with his left arm and slammed his right forearm into the Coyote Man's face, but the quick-footed warrior recovered in time to deflect the blow. He slipped his leg between Bennett's and pulled the sergeant off balance. They fell to the ground with a heavy thud, rolling over and over down the slight incline and into the river. An arm shot out of the water with the knife prepared to arc downwards for the kill but was met part-way by another arm that grasped the bony wrist. The water churned with the violent twisting of two bodies locked in mortal combat.

Suddenly all went still and, as the water settled, a cloud of red rose to the surface. The two antagonists glared into each other's eyes, breath hard against each other's faces. The Coyote Man grinned.

"Great power...." And then his eyes glazed over in death and he slid beneath the surface of the water.

Bennett stumbled from the water with the knife still clasped in his hand and watched as the body floated to the surface, face down. He sank to his knees, staring at the lifeless form until the object by the water's edge caught his eye. Bennett reached forward and tentatively allowed his fingers to touch the matted scalp. A movement behind him made him jump, but he relaxed as Charlie Two Horses crawled over to sit beside him.

"He didn't desert us. My father."

Charlie reached over and placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder, feeling the tension drain out of the man.

The razor-sharp cut in his side was not deep, but it stung fiercely. Bennett smiled as the old man instructed him on how to seal the wound using the same mud and grasses as before, and was surprised at how quickly the pain diminished.

As he finished packing the last of the mixture against the cut, Bennett stiffened. He stared into the sky and, moments later, the thump-thump of a chopper reverberated around them. As the rotor blades slowed, a recognizable figure jumped out of the interior. Bennett waved at Joe Walking Elk, the grin plastered across his face mirrored by the other.

Having dealt with the Coyote Man's body, they carried Charlie over to the helicopter. Bennett strapped the old man in safely, then he stood back and stared into the tracker's eyes.

"Will you teach me the Old Ways?"

The old Indian smiled and clasped the younger man's forearm, feeling the answering grip on his own arm.

"I will teach you, Fire-in-his-eyes."

Bennett smiled as the door was shut firmly, then he moved back a safe distance to watch the chopper lift off. He continued to stare until the chopper was no more than a speck on the horizon and then he turned to face the youth.

Bennett clapped Walking Elk on the shoulder.

"Let's get these horses home."

THE END

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Buffalo Man - GEN Version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/206603) by [Tarlan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan)




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